VISUAL--Differences between Tone Zone and EVH pup..

[threeminutesboy]

very interesting thanks for sharing this

[dangerdog]

thanks for that....so so you ever see the original EVH pups come up for sale?

[Andrew Whitmore]

thanks for that....so so you ever see the original EVH pups come up for sale?

Yes, you do. OEM DiMarzios are kinda sort after on the Bay. Even moreso than Duncans, IMO.

[guitfiddle]

Thanks Andrew!

And good luck with your deal dangerdog, and welcome!

[Butch Snyder]

When I was looking into an Axis, I asked EBMM Customer Service about the pickups and the original EVH model pickups and how they came to be. I was told that EVH tried out pickups for the sig guitar. the one he liked most went into the guitar and are still there. The 2nd place pickups became the Tone Zone.

[azazael]

I thought I read that the ones he liked the best were faulty?

[John C]

I thought I read that the ones he liked the best were faulty?

If I'm remembering the Guitar Player piece from 1991 correctly, I believe when they were working on pickups for the EVH either Steve Blutcher at DiMarzio or Dudley discovered the pickup in EVH was using as the benchmark for tone was faulty.

So the DiMarzio pickups were fully functional but their tone was replicating the faulty pickup EVH was used to from his #1 Kramer. At least I think it was the 5150 Kramer; it might have been the original Frankenstrat's pickup.

[azazael]

5150 pickup would have been a JB I think.
Theres debates about this but its believed to be a JB.

[Lou]

You should have him send a pic of the control cavity to see if the solder/wiring looks original. But I would tell the guy, send the guitar back for a full refund or no deal.

[nobozos]

I offered him $200 or he can return it for a full refund.

Usually my return policy is 90% even if it is totally my fault but that is just to scare away the scammers (and the "renters" and "tryers").

Thanks....nice to be a member here.

Sounds more than fair to me. Too bad you are put in that situation, but you are doing the right thing.

[John C]

5150 pickup would have been a JB I think.
Theres debates about this but its believed to be a JB.

It's been a long time since I pulled out that 1991 NAMM show Guitar Player magazine where they discussed the development of the EVH Signature; maybe it was the old rewound and hand potted humbucker in the Frankenstrat that was his "benchmark" when having the DiMarzio folks wind various pickups.

Regardless you were right - they were copying a pickup where one of the coils had some kind of break in the winds or something that made it not be fully functional.

[hbucker]

That is the Frankenstrat pickup. It actually reads as zero resistance from what I understand...

I hope this situation resolves itself. I can't understand why anyone would replace the stock pickup with a Tone Zone. They just don't sound that close to me. In the words of the DiMarzio text above, "overbearing" is a good way to describe it.

[azazael]

That is the Frankenstrat pickup. It actually reads as zero resistance from what I understand...

I hope this situation resolves itself. I can't understand why anyone would replace the stock pickup with a Tone Zone. They just don't sound that close to me. In the words of the DiMarzio text above, "overbearing" is a good way to describe it.

If the pickup they chose was from the 5150? Then it wasn't the Frankestrat pickup.

[nobozos]

I'm just going off memory here, so I could be wrong. If my memory is correct, the neck shape is what was copied off of the 5150 Kramer, and the pickup was modeled from the Frankenstrat pickup.

[balance]

Another bit of trivia on the Frankenstrat, the replacement "Kramer" neck that was once on that guitar was made by Tom Anderson.